The Story of Jade West and Beck Oliver
by GoldenLily
Summary: How exactly did Jade and Beck get together? She's hurting, and he is there.


The Story of Jade West and Beck Oliver

Jade hates fighting.

Too bad she has a predisposition for it.

Jade West is insecure.

Because never has she experienced this unending well of love that she receives from Beck every day, even when she makes him angry. And she doesn't know what to do with it.

She tried to ignore it. But he persisted, asking her out again and again. She tries now to kill it with venom in her voice, anger in her eyes, hurtful things thrown in his direction. Her barbs brush off him. She tries to make it go away. She knows that when you make people angry, it's only a matter of time before they go away. She knows. Her mom. Her dad. She's had many examples in life. Every boyfriend she has ever had turned tail and ran the first time she sent them that look of hatred.

But then why isn't it working now? This new guy, one she has hurried conversations with in the halls, who sits with her at lunch invading her table, who calls her cell phone without her knowing how he got the number. Who asks her to dance in the middle of lunch, and sent her a dozen black roses a week after he met her. Who is this person? She has shown no mercy, no kindness, at all to him since he started showing up in her life.

So why is he still there? It's been a month. She has showed no leeway.

Jade glides down the hall, her mind a whirling vortex, on her way to writing class. When someone gently tugs the books from her hands, and walks beside her, eyes forward.

"What do you want Beck?" her voice is flat.

"Me? Oh. Nothing. Maybe a date, but right now I'm just gonna walk you to class."

"How about no?" She takes a sip of her coffee, stops walking, and faces him off, squaring her shoulders, preparing for battle. "In fact, give me my books back and scram. Ok?"

"Nope." He smiles, ignores her anger, her incredulous look, and starts walking her to class again, picking up right where they left off.

She stalks beside him, on the inside flattered, but knowing he just doesn't understand what he is getting himself into.

She allows him to walk her to class, takes her books, and sits down to write a script. But she just can't focus. So she leaves class abrubptly, making her way to the janitors closet, and sits in the dark crying.

After five minutes, the door clicks open. Jade hides herself in the corner, hoping the janitor will get his things and leave quickly.

"Jade?"

She looks up, heart hammering, knowing she is caught for sure. But it's Beck, standing in the sliver of light from the hall.

"Go away."

He hears the tears in her voice, and instead of doing as she asked, shuts the door and crawls beside her. In the darkness, suddenly a flame alights their space, following up from his hand is a silver zippo.

Momentarily distracted she asks "you smoke?" while mopping her tears with her sleeve.

He laughs. "nope, these things are just handy."

She nods, looking down into her lap, arms around herself.

"hey?" he slips his arm around her, cupping her into himself. "whats wrong?"

"why should I tell you? some guy I hardly know?" she hurls, anger her go-to emotion.

"because. I care." He states as though it's a fact.

"yeah? How do I know you don't just want in my pants? Like every other guy? Hit it quit it don't admit it." she quips angrily, all the emotion in their past month filling the room with static and tenseness.

"because. I care. Because I love you."

"love me?" now Jade loses it, tears pouring from her eyes quicker than she can catch them. "you don't even know me! You transfer here out of the blue, and won't leave me alone. I never asked for you! for this! I don't need your help. You don't know what you're getting into. I'm a fucked up mess who leaves class because there's a hole in my chest that sucks everything good and everything happy into its black void! Because I never can stay happy! I just ruin everything good! Cat is my only friend because she's so screwed up she can't handle life and sticks near me! You? who are you? some indie-guy who appears out of nowhere and wants to LOVE ME? Well fuck you and your happy ending. You have no idea what I am, how many things I ruin."

She looks up, anger in her voice, desperation in her eyes. No one has ever stuck with her past this point. The anger. The barbs thrown. the true screwed up self is shown, and they bolt from her black void of a heart.

Instead, Beck just looks into her eyes, and pulls her into himself, hugging her until she is breathless, and her tears soak his shirt. He cries with her. Whispering "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry."

When they part he looks at her, "I want to save you. I want you to love me. And I'm going to sit here as long as it takes." He leans in to kiss her and she turns her head away, ducking into herself.

"Jade?" she looks up. "Don't be a coward; don't ruin us so you can stay in this world of hurt you live in. I want you to let me love you." and with that she takes the plunge and kisses him.

After they pull apart and she is folded into his arms, letting him near, cautiously allowing him into her world, and he whispers it over and over again into her ear. "I love you Jade West, I love you, I love you…"

Until she falls into a lull of comfort

He wakes her up a few minutes later, and whispers that they need to go back to class. He helps her up, kissing her again, and holding her hand they exit to the empty hallway, eyes readjusting to the light. He walks her back to writing class. Leaning against the wall her states "so. How do you feel?"

She adjusts her bracelet, brushes her hand across her hair, postponing her answer. "Honestly?" she darts her eyes to his face them back down to her combat boots, "uhm…happy…scared…flustered…nervous."

Beck grins. "You said happy."

"Well-"

"You said happy." And with that he kisses her again, whispers his love for her, and leaves for class.

"wait!"

He pauses.

"how did you know I was there?" she catches her breath on the words, wanting to choke them back, ignore this new beginning he has laid for her, this new lifeline he is crafting around her.

He turns around and walks back, catching her eyes with his own. "Well, I was on my way to a doctor's appointment, but you were more important. I could someone from the hallway, and just knew it was you."

He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and traced her face with his hand. "I love you for your black boots, and your writing, and you singing, and your acting, and your voice, and your words, and your smile, and your hair, and your heart, and everything you do. Don't ever forget that. I saw you and knew I had to love you. From the first glance at lunch. From the first phone call where you told me to get a life. From the first time I carried your books. From the first time you sang a verse, from the first time you walked down the hallway, from the first time I heard your voice, I knew."

With one last clear look into her eyes, he left, and she went into class.

Jade West had someone to love her. And she could love them back. She could rage and scream and curse, and yell, but he loves her.

And now she is not alone.


End file.
